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Animal Science

Dry weather delays Christmas Island crab migration

Authorities say "exceptionally dry" conditions have put a dampener on this season's migration, which normally sees the mass of red crabs blocking traffic.
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Christmas island red crab migration

Researchers use CT scans to peer inside the 100-million-year-old jaws of an ancient marine reptile

The rare Australian elasmosaur fossil gained global attention when it was discovered on an outback Queensland property in 2022.
CT scan of fossil head.

Australia's oldest-known platypus living in the wild discovered in a Melbourne creek

The discovery of a 24-year-old wild platypus gives researchers and conservationists a greater insight into the longevity of one of Australia's most unique animals.
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A platypus on the surface of some water close-up swimming

Stingray falls pregnant in aquarium despite no male ray companions

Charlotte hasn't shared a tank with another stingray for at least eight years. But somehow, she's pregnant. 
a small, round and brown stingray in a tank

Brushtail possums have not lived in this part of Australia for almost 100 years, but now they are back

Locally extinct from Western Australia's northern Wheatbelt for almost a century, a brushtail possum has been photographed out and about, signalling a landscape-scale conservation success.
black and white image of brushtail possum

Oregon man catches the bubonic plague from pet cat

It is the first time since 2015 that the bubonic plague has been detected in the state of Oregon.
can sitting on bed looking at camera

Second king penguin spotted acting 'happy' in South Australia, 2,500km from nearest colony

A Port Neill local filmed a juvenile king penguin on a beach on Wednesday, nearly two weeks after a sighting of what was possibly the same bird in the Coorong.
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Penguin on sandy white beach ith bush on sandhills in background, bay water on right.

'I had nothing left in the tank': How border collie Ash Barky helped propel a new mum onto 'beautiful things'

Cilla Pershouse admits she "lost her sense of self" after the birth of her third child, but help came in the unexpected form of a new colleague at her farm — a border collie puppy named Ash Barky.
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Woman in pink check shirt and broad-brimmed hat cuddles puppy and sits on the grass

Numbats in the wild doing better than expected despite prescribed burn with dire consequences

There was once thought to be fewer than 1,000 numbats left in the wild, but a new study in southern Western Australia suggests that number is far greater.
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Two numbats next to each other.

Farmer says virtual fencing 'appropriate', but RSPCA says electric shock causes 'acute stress' to animals

Momentum is growing in one of Australia's largest cattle-producing states to overturn a ban on virtual fencing technology. However, a peak animal welfare charity says using electric shocks to train animals raises significant ethical and animal welfare concerns.
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man standing in paddock with dairy cows behind him

Rainbow lorikeets falling from the sky with mysterious syndrome in northern New South Wales

More than 200 birds with lorikeet paralysis syndrome have been taken in by wildlife carers around Grafton as researchers call on citizen scientists to help find the cause.
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Rainbow lorikeets in single beds in care.

Research trip uncovers 24 new animal species in WA's remote Midwest

The southern shovel-nosed snake and spotted military dragon are among the species found in the area for the first time.
Close-up of a tiny lizard with ochre stripes and light spots held gently in the hand of an unseen handler.

What you can do in your own backyard to help minimise the spread of cane toads

Here's what you can do to prevent cane toads from making themselves at home on your property and how to humanely euthanase any you do find in your garden.
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A close-up of a cane toad standing side-on to the camera, surrounded by blades of grass.

From the bull ant to the irukandji, these are Australia's most painful creatures

As Aussies head to the beaches and parklands this summer, we asked a venom expert to rank the top 10 most painful creatures they might encounter. 
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Colourful illustration of ocean and land with coral, seaweed, fish, insects, grass and cliff face.

Citizen scientist program to help solve mystery of mass frog kill event at lagoon

A national frog research team will look into the death of more than 200 frogs at Bool Lagoon alongside a number of other unexplained events. 
southern bell frog

Known as the 'Sid Vicious of the insect world', ultra-rare ant with golden mohawk is captured on camera

The species is only known to live atop a handful of mountain peaks in remote Far North Queensland, including Mount Finnigan about 50km south of Cooktown.
A macro photo of a jet black ant with bright gold hair sprouting from its abdomen and thorax.

Vets seek fresh feathers to get Stan the wedge-tailed eagle back in the air

A Byron Bay vet team is searching for a suitable feather donor for a procedure they hope will help get an injured wedge-tailed eagle soaring again.
ABC News Current

'Australians don't want more extinctions': Leading ecologist warns about climate change impact on biodiversity

One of Australia's leading ecologists says climate change should be specifically mentioned for the first time in revamped threatened species legislation, due to be released by the Albanese government in 2024.
An image of two Black Cormorants sitting on a piece of wood in water.

What's so special about Retro the cloned rhesus monkey? Five quick questions answered

Scientists report cloning a monkey using a technique that most famously gave us Dolly the sheep in 1996. So what's new about this study, and what does it mean for humans?
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Rhesus monkey in cage

Hundreds of cownose rays filmed off NSW coast

A large gathering of hundreds of cownose rays off the NSW coast prompt questions from scientists, who know little about the sea creatures.
ABC News Current
Duration: 3 minutes 23 seconds

What's the smartest animal in the bush?

Bettongs, chuditch, quendas and antechinus as well as possums, skinks, kangaroos and echidnas were put through their paces to see which of our native animals could complete puzzles left in bushland.
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A small mammal pulling a lever on the puzzle, causing a flap to lift up.

Antarctic adventure inspires women to 'focus on hope' in their quests to help solve humanity's biggest threats

Normally, you'll find Elizabeth Znidersic in north-east Victoria's wetlands, microphone in hand, eavesdropping on birds. But the scientist has recently returned from a much colder expedition.
a woman in a black beanie sits in a dinghy. a grey hood pulled over her head, large black sunglasses and an orange life jacket

analysis:Animal sounds are rarely recorded live in documentaries. Humans make and add them in later — here's how

While the images we see in nature documentaries are filmed on location, many of the animal sounds are recorded and added later. Here's how they're made, writes Damien Pollard.
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African elephants entwine their trunks

Bremer Bay orcas 'healthiest on the globe' as numbers boom off Western Australia

Pods of more than 70 orcas have been recorded at the Bremer Canyon off Western Australia's south coast as the annual season starts with high numbers of killer whales in good health.
a killer whale in the water

Numbats must eat 20,000 termites a day, but warmer days might make that impossible

New research shows numbats are overheating in high summer temperatures, and scientists suggest climate change could make things worse.
A numbat standing in a sun beam in a cracked hollow log, part of the log is like a veranda over it